1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile capture device, and more particularly, to a dynamically reconfigurable device capable of automatically monitoring, recording, and optionally modifying fax transmissions between two fax machines connected through a telephone line.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, the cost of computer memory and permanent storage has dramatically decreased, while the cost of storing paper documents has increased. It is now less expensive to retain electronic copies of documents than their physical counterparts. Electronic document storage promises not only reduced costs, but also other desirable benefits such as rapid retrieval, high-speed searching, and simplified format conversions.
However, one problem that has slowed the evolution to electronic document storage is the inconvenience associated with capturing the document in electronic form. Because most fax machines do not automatically capture and retain a digital copy of a fax document, a human operator must pass the document through a separate scanning device, such as a flatbed scanner, in order to obtain the digital copy. Not only does this extra step waste time, but it may also lead to gaps in the digital record if the responsible party neglects to scan the document. If a system were developed to automatically capture documents without human interaction, then a complete digital record would be assured. In a corporate environment, such a record would be invaluable from a security standpoint, with the added benefit that human resources would be freed for more productive tasks.
Although capture circuitry could be integrated into fax machines in order to automatically capture transmitted documents, a costly upgrade would be needed for existing fax machines. Indeed, upgrades may be difficult or impossible with most devices. Moreover, such integrated machines would probably require a hardware upgrade in order to accommodate different facsimile protocols or computer interfaces. What is needed, then, is a device that can monitor and record fax transmissions without requiring an expensive modification of existing hardware.
Various solutions have been proposed for addressing this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,221 discloses a fax modem that passively records any transmissions to or from a fax machine. However, such an approach has several drawbacks. First, the system is implemented using a digital signal processor ("DSP") and a specific computer interface. This static design has the disadvantage that it cannot be dynamically adapted to different interfaces or facsimile formats. Additionally, there is no mechanism for modifying outgoing or incoming facsimile transmissions, such as by providing encryption or compression. Indeed, a DSP is ill-suited for performing any kind of symbolic computations on facsimile data.
Thus, there remains a need for a facsimile device that is capable of monitoring, recording, and optionally modifying fax transmissions that take place between two fax machines connected through a telephone line. Moreover, there remains a need for a dynamically reconfigurable facsimile device that can accommodate a wide variety of interfaces and facsimile formats. Additionally, there remains a need for a dynamically reconfigurable facsimile device that can modify outgoing or incoming transmissions, such as by providing encryption and compression.